Who We Are

The Libstar family is motivated to create, work and achieve success through its purpose as a family:

enriching people’s
daily
lives.

That is what the products we make and the people who make them live for and aim towards every day.

Every home and every family strives to uphold a set of values. These values are what we all believe in and try to exemplify throughout our daily lives, to keep us all moving forward with purpose and on the right track.

Proper business is honest business.

Our Values

The spark of perfection.

It’s something that comes from inside us. It courses through our veins. It might not be something that’s easy to explain, but it drives us to put our heart and soul into every second of what we do. That makes all the difference.

Our History

Libstar was founded in 2005 to acquire and grow operations in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry.

Over the years, we have followed a strategy of acquiring controlling equity stakes in existing food and beverage, and household and personal care businesses that demonstrates sound entrepreneurial management and high-growth potential.

2016

Revenue R4,077m

2017

Revenue R8,796m

2018

Revenue R9,892m

Listed on the JSE Limited with a R7,6 billion market capitalisation at listing. Achieved strong year-end results in challenging markets.

Management Team

The Libstar management team makes our house a home. They uphold our family values and work hard to ensure that all members of the Libstar family are supported and taken care of while working together to achieve further success.

Andries van Rensburg

Chief Executive Officer

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MEng (Cum Laude) University of Stellenbosch MBL (Cum Laude) University of Stellenbosch

Andries joined Sasol in 1982 and before long he was promoted to Operations Manager. In 1989 he acted on his passion for the food business and took up a position with South Africa’s food giant, Tiger Brands. There Andries served as Managing Director of subsidiaries such as Oceana Fishing, Langeberg Foods and the Tiger Brands Culinary Division. Andries co-founded Libstar in 2005.

Robin Smith

Group Commercial and Financial Director

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CA (SA) BCompt (Hons) UNISA

Robin left the accounting profession for a financial management position in commerce and industry. He served as shareholder and Financial Director of the Sherwood Export group for 10 years, as Financial Director for South African Breweries (SAB) African operations, and then as Commercial Director for SAB International. Robin was Director of Brait South Africa and a shareholder and Director of Metier Investment and Advisory Services. Robin co-founded Libstar in 2005.

André Naudé

Organisational Development Executive

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BCom Stellenbosch University MBA Stellenbosch University

André has accumulated a rich background in marketing and sales and has an incisive understanding of Demand Management. He has close on 30 years’ experience in the fields of FMCG marketing and sales. André has established solid track records at Tiger Brands, Premier Foods, Reckitt Benckiser and Barloworld. Within Tiger Brands, André held various marketing and sales executive and directorship positions. André joined Libstar in June 2009.

Peter Grobler

Group Technical and Manufacturing Executive

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BSc (Eng) (Hons) UCT MBA (Cum Laude) Stellenbosch University

Peter assisted the Libstar family on a number of supply chain projects since its inception. The growth of the family has presented many improvement opportunities in the manufacturing and logistics arena and Peter provides the necessary backup and systems to Libstar operations. Peter is a registered professional mechanical engineer with the Engineering Council of South Africa. He has worked in the fields of design engineering, OEM manufacture and FMCG manufacture and has more than 20 years’ experience, the bulk of which has been spent in manufacturing. Peter was the Supply Chain Director for Tiger Brands as well as Manufacturing Executive for Afrox and has owned and operated his own manufacturing and facilities design consultancy. Peter joined Libstar in 2010.

Tim Judge

Group Supply Chain Executive

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BCom UCT BCompt Honours UNISA CA (SA)

Tim is a chartered accountant and experienced entrepreneurial investment manager with 20 years’ experience in private equity, information technology, professional and financial services and merchant banking. Tim’s role at Libstar involves assisting with new acquisitions. He is also pivotal to commercial and operational matters, assisting Libstar companies with the implementation of growth strategies and operational improvement plans. Previously, Tim managed a portfolio of tech-related private equity investments at Standard Corporate and Merchant Bank. He was Chief Financial Officer for the Virgin Group’s direct banking and finance operation in the UK and then took up the Commercial Director role at Dimension Data. He later became Chief Financial Officer of its Global Solutions and Services portfolios. Tim joined Libstar in 2008.

Charl de Villiers

Senior Financial Executive

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CA(SA) BAcc LLB (Cum Laude) BAcc (Hons)

Charl is a qualified and registered chartered accountant who acted as the Chief Financial Officer of the JSE-listed investment holding company Stellar Capital Partners before joining the Group in 2017. Prior to joining Stellar Capital Partners, Charl acted as a corporate finance executive with AfrAsia Corporate Finance (now Stellar Credit, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Stellar Capital Partners) where he gained significant experience in managing complex transactional, regulatory and accounting challenges. Charl has also served on a number of boards and sub-committees of Stellar Capital Partners’ investee companies.

Leon Conradie

HR Executive

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Leon started his professional career - after graduating from North-West University - at the Industrial Development Corporation during 1972. He joined the Barloworld group in 1979 where he held various appointments, including one at Thos Barlow and Sons in London for a number of years. More recently, he served as an Executive Director of the Oceana Fishing Group Ltd. Leon’s association with the Libstar family started at its inception when he advised and attended on critical HR and IR issues. During 2010, he was appointed as an Executive at Lancewood, whereafter Leon joined Libstar in 2012.

Wendy van Zyl

Category Executive

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With more than 15 years’ experience in sales, marketing and category management within the FMCG industry, Wendy offers a unique multi-disciplinary approach and breadth of knowledge that is focussed on business deliverables. Her background in 3 disciplines that have high connectivity and a focus on customer, shopper and consumer insights, ensures that Wendy approaches Trade Category Management in a way that is strategic, yet implementable.

Johan Greeff

Chief Growth Officer

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MBA (Cum Laude) International University of Monaco ACE MIT Sloan School of Management

Johan’s passion for innovation and marketing has seen him successfully launch several major global brands in South Africa across multiple industries. This experience encompasses both strategy and operations across sales and marketing functions as well as business and brand development with an in-depth understanding of consumer behaviour. This extends into a skillset geared toward developing markets, with a focus on driving sales, innovation and distribution through relevant brand traction. Johan’s expertise on brand management, consumer brand building, strategic thinking, and an agile way of working with partners has been crucial to the Libstar family of brands’ new direction. Johan joined Libstar in November 2018.

Directors

The Directors of Libstar are the guardians of the family and are responsible for our home. They oversee the achievements of the family of companies and make the big decisions to keep us on track for a future of success and growth.

Wendy Luhabe

Chairperson – Independent Non-Executive Director

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BCom University of Lesotho Management Advancement Programme Wits Business School

Date of appointment: March 2018

Wendy has been a serial social entrepreneur for 25 years, with a focus on the economic empowerment of women.

She has served on boards of diverse industries since 1992, including chairing Vodacom and the Industrial Development Corporation. She pioneered broad-based economic empowerment (B-BBEE) of women in 1993 through the creation of WIPHOLD before B-BBEE became legislation. WIPHOLD is an investment portfolio company that enabled thousands of women to become investors in South Africa’s economy for the first time. In 2003, she established the Women Private Equity Fund to provide growth capital to female-owned enterprises. She is currently involved in mobilising women to participate in infrastructure opportunities through the establishment of Women in Infrastructure Development and Energy (WINDE).

Wendy is a BCom graduate and has attended many post-graduate leadership programmes over the years.

She currently serves on the Social Justice Initiative and Pepkor boards. Her previous board experience includes Telkom, Tiger Brands, JSE, BMW, International Institute for Management Development and World Rugby.

JP Landman

Lead Independent Non-Executive Director

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BA LLB University of Stellenbosch MPhil in Future Studies (Cum Laude) University of Stellenbosch Programme on Macroeconomic Policy Management Harvard Continuing Education on the Economies of the BRICS countries Oxford University, Continuing Education

Date of appointment: March 2018

JP is an independent analyst on political-economic trends, focusing on trends in politics, economics, demographics and social capital. JP previously worked at an investment house operating on the JSE Limited where he was rated the number one analyst in his category. From 2006 to 2009, he served on President Mbeki’s economic advisory panel. In 2015, he was appointed as a member of the National Planning Commission. He has board and audit committee experience as a non-executive director of different companies, including the Afrikaanse Taal en Kultuurvereniging (ATKV).

Sibongile Masinga

Independent Non-Executive Director

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Sibongile is a co-founder and shareholder of Afropulse Group, a women-led investment, corporate advisory and investor relations group. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree and has completed the USA-SA Leadership and Entrepreneurship Programme at the Wharton School of Business. She has valuable industry-related experience as she currently serves on the board of Bidvest Holdings as a non-executive director and a member of the remuneration committee, risk committee and social and ethics committee. She also serves as an independent director on the Finance and Grant Committee of the Merseta (Manufacturing, engineering and related services sector). She was appointed to serve on the Council at Durban University of Technology by the Minister of Higher Education, The Honourable Naledi Pandor and also serves on the audit committee.

Sandeep Khanna

Non-Executive Director

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Sandeep is a seasoned investor and pioneer of private equity with more than 20 years of experience in Africa. Sandeep has a track record of investing in Africa since 1995 through direct investing, investment committee membership and senior key leadership positions held at two leading emerging markets fund management firms over the investment cycle of several funds. Sandeep is a chartered management accountant in the United Kingdom.

Andries van Rensburg

Chief Executive Officer

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BEng, MEng University of Stellenbosch MBL (Cum Laude) UNISA

Date of appointment: June 2014

Andries joined Sasol in 1982 and before long he was promoted to Operations Manager. In 1989 he acted on his passion for the food business and took up a position with South Africa’s food giant, Tiger Brands. There Andries served as Managing Director of subsidiaries such as Oceana Fishing, Langeberg Foods and the Tiger Brands Culinary Division. Andries co-founded Libstar in 2005.

Robin Smith

Group financial director

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BCompt and BCompt Honours UNISA CA (SA)

Date of appointment: October 2014

Robin left the accounting profession for a financial management position in commerce and industry. He served as shareholder and Financial Director of the Sherwood Export group for 10 years, as Financial Director for South African Breweries (SAB) African operations, and then as Commercial Director for SAB International. Robin was Director of Brait South Africa and a shareholder and Director of Metier Investment and Advisory Services. Robin co-founded Libstar in 2005.

Organisation & People Development

One of the key components of the Libstar strategy is Organisation and People Development. To enable this to take place we have four initiatives in place.

Innovative Value Creation

Each of the businesses in the Group has a strategic initiative in place to ensure that the business is translating boardroom strategy into action throughout the business, ensuring innovative value creation through:

Clarity of purpose and direction

Appropriate structures, alignment and performance scorecards

An effective leadership culture

Employee engagement throughout the organisation

Continuous optimisation of business processes and systems

On-going performance measurement, recognition and reward

Talent Development

Libstar has initiated a Talent Development programme with the objective of having in place an identified cadre of high-performer and high-potential leaders who:

Have been clearly identified using relevant technology

Whose development has leadership commitment

Who are being developed, mentored and supported

Who are part of a Group succession pipeline and are considered for positions as they arise

Leadership and Management Development

Libstar is offering a Leadership Development Programme directed at developing a platform of basic leadership and management skills within middle management in Libstar businesses. This programme builds on tertiary knowledge obtained by middle managers and provides skills and practical tools to enhance leadership and management skills in a collaborative environment, focused on innovation, customer service and value creation.

Libstar Academy

A Libstar academy has been established with two primary objectives:

The development of a Group Internship programme aimed at providing carefully selected University graduates with a 6-12 month opportunity to extend their academic qualifications and/ or obtain workplace experience, through structured workplace exposure and vocation-specific training.

The establishment of appropriate Learnerships in all Libstar businesses through the provision of a central support service.